How to Remove Dried Mud from Shoes

Table of Contents:

Remove the Mud
Make them Sparkle

Always wait until the mud on your shoes is dry before attempting to clean it off. If the mud is already dry, then you’re ready to clean them. If not, set them somewhere near an air vent or fan to dry more quickly. Be sure to set shoes with wet mud on them on top of some newspaper for easy clean-up of the floor later.

Remove the Mud

All you need to remove dried mud from shoes is a stiff scrub brush or a blunt instrument to tap off the dried dirt, or you can even simply bang the soles of the shoes together. Dried mud will break apart and fall off of the shoe fairly easily. Rub or tap off as much dirt as you can.
Use a spoon to scrape off the small stubborn spots, or even a nail file can work to break apart small residue. Be careful with the nail file that you don’t file the surface of the shoe at all.
Use a dry towel to scrub the shoe and remove the rest of the mud and leftover dust.

Make them Sparkle

Follow-up the mud removal with a thorough cleaning. Use the cleaning procedures that are recommended for your specific type of shoes. For rubber, leather and traditional (non-fabric) sneakers, simply wiping with a damp cloth will get rid of the last of the mud dust and smudges, but that should never be done on fabrics or suede as it will smear the mud dust into the material and cause stains. Instead, fabrics should be gently washed as usual and suede should be cleaned with a suede cleaner.

Here are some of our shoe cleaning guides that you can see for more details: